1/700 Hughes OH-6A 'Loach' Cayuse - (x4 w/PHOTO ETCH) - Vietnam and Beyond!

Description

NO RESERVE. We're offering here a set of four beautifully detailed 1/700 scale Hughes OH-6A 'Loach' Cayuse models that have just come out of the 3D printer complete with
White Ensign Photo Etch parts
!
The Hughes OH-6 'Cayuse' (popularly recognized as the 'Loach') was a revolutionary light helicopter mount primarily in service with the United States Army and saw combat service during the Vietnam War. The type was born from the US Army Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program (which provided its 'Loach' nickname) and ultimately proved an excellent helicopter system seeing only limited service in the inventories of several American allies worldwide. Fewer than 2,000 of the type were produced though the original went on to spawn a plethora of viable performers including the Hughes 500 'Defender' and the special forces-minded MH-6 'Little Bird'.
With production having begun in 1965, the US Army stock grew until the aircraft was formally introduced in 1966 - in time for the American involvement in the Vietnam War. Back in 1964, the US Air Force took over all fixed-wing aircraft of the Army and this left only a fleet of helicopters for air service in the latter. During the Vietnam conflict, OH-6 Cayuse platforms undertook a myriad of frontline sorties and even CIA-directed covert missions, both as unarmed and armed platforms. Their vertical abilities allowed them unfettered access over the jungle canopy and across mountainous terrain of Southeast Asia while delivering all manner of support for ground troops and critically wounded.
They were usually joined by Cobra gunships — either in hunter-killer teams where the Loach hunted and the Cobra killed or in air mobile cavalry units where both airframes supported cavalry and infantrymen on the ground.
In the hunter-killer teams, the Loach would fly low over the jungle, drawing fire and then calling for the Cobra to kill the teams on the ground.
In air mobile teams, a pilot would fly low while an observer would scan the ground for signs of the enemy force. Some of them were able to tell how large a force was and how recently it had passed. They would then call in scouts on the ground or infantrymen to hunt for the enemy in the brush while attack helicopters protected everyone.
In all, sources state that some 658 Cayuse helicopters were lost to enemy fire in the war and a further 297 were lost through accidents alone.
While Loachs were vulnerable to enemy fire, they were famous for surviving crashes. A saying among Army aviators was, “If you have to crash, do it in a Loach.”
Often lost in discussions about the OH-6 is its record-setting design - capturing some 23 helicopter records worldwide including those for speed and endurance. The OH-6 certainly rewrote the light observation category and its stellar design is solidified by the fact that the airframe is still in use today - nearly 50 years since its inception.
WEM previously offered a resin model of the OH-6A Loach in 1/700 scale but this are long out of production and almost impossible to find today.  We think that the 3D printed models offered here easily rivals (and
probably exceed by good measure) the WEM effort but we've posted some high resolution photos so you can judge for yourself. While photography of these little gems is a challenge for our equipment and limited skills, check out the details of the well proportioned model including the tear drop fuselage with open
cabin doors, engine cowling with exhaust tube, the delicate
landing skids and
synchronized
elevators on the tail boom. Of special note in this set is the inclusion of
White Ensign Photo-Etch
main rotors and tail rotors (including a spare) plus tail stabilizers (including a spare) and undercarriage skids for those that would like to replace these 3D printed components on our model.
Although the surfaces are not perfectly smooth (3D printing is done in layers), the plastic used can be sanded and painted much the same way you would handle resin or styrene. The models may still have some powder and oil-like agent on them that needs to be removed by washing in warm water with a drop of detergent added to it.
These outstanding OH-6A Loach models should be a welcome addition to any Vietnam-era wargamer's or 1/700 modeler's collection, particularly those interested in US Army helicopter operations in Vietnam. Please take a look at the other 1/700 scale aircraft models that we have on auction. We're always happy to combine shipping for multiple purchases to save whenever possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions whatsoever.